Fall back on bread

Delia and Lindsey are developing and testing recipes, and will be available to answer recipe queries you have relating to the content of Deliaonline. We're also here to listen to your cookery comments, share your ideas and try to help you in any way we can. Why not ask your question now?

Fall back on bread

Hi, Baked two tin loaves this morning, rose well, almost too well, and when I smoothed tops with flour and then made a cut, the dough fell back. The cut wasn't clean either. When I took the bread out they have risen well but the tops look flatter than they should. Have I overworked the dough or underworked? Any other suggestions please? Reasonable beginner.

Fall back on bread

Hello Jillmiskin,

From what you have said I suspect that you have over-proved your dough before you slashed it. As you said it rose too well. It also sounds like your cut or cuts were not clean and you may have dragged the knife across.

Other things can be the cause such as not using strong flour, not kneading it enough to develop the gluten or cooking it in the oven, which is too cool.

We will be doing bread in a future cookery school but in the meantime we have these pages on-line.

Fall back on bread

Thank you for your prompt response Lindsay Most helpful. I read the recipe and my bread looked like the one shown when finished - upside down it looks great.Simply not so good upright ;-) You didn't say if you added flour to the top or not and slashed it at all?